Cute Dog Names

This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters. Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie, Willow, and Marlowe.

Minnow

A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.

Taffy

A snug word name that may appeal to hygge-minded parents. It reappeared on the US charts in both 2020 and 2022 after a gap of 55 years. It can be short for Cosima or Cosette/Cozette.

Cozy

Cookie is most often used as a dog name, and it should stay that way.

Cookie

Clemmie

Minty isn't a fresh word name — it's an old-fashioned nickname for Araminta, the romantic smoosh name coined by playwright William Congreve in 1693.

Minty

Australian writer Wendy Orr put this name on the map with her hit Nim's Island" series of children's books, about a smart young girl who lives on an island in the South Pacific. Abigail Breslin played Nim in a 2008 film adaptation of the book. Gamers will know Nim as the name of an abstract mathematical game a bit like Mancala, while fans of '80s animated films may associate it with Ratatouille precursor The Secret of Nimh.

Chico

Chewy is a masculine name that originated as a nickname or diminutive form, most famously associated with the Star Wars character Chewbacca. As a given name, it has an inherently playful, affectionate quality. While uncommon as a legal name, Chewy has gained some recognition through pop culture references and the growing trend of using casual, friendly names officially. The name conveys warmth, approachability, and a bit of whimsy. Parents might choose Chewy for its distinctive sound, its pop culture connections, or simply for its cheerful, memorable quality. As with many nickname-derived names, Chewy has a contemporary feel that breaks from traditional naming conventions while offering a unique identity.

Chewy

Aromatic spice used in cooking, and a cute route to Meg, Nutmeg is predominantly used on pets rather than humans. 

Nutmeg

While we don't see many parents adopting Otter as a name for their own babies, Zooey Deschanel put this one in the lexicon when she used it as a middle name for her adorably-named daughter Elsie Otter. Even in the celebrisphere, Otter is one of the most <a href="https://nameberry.com/unique-names">unique baby names</a> we've heard.

Otter

Tippi is best known as the nickname of actress Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie."  Hedren's real name was Nathalie Kay; her father dubbed her Tippi.  Although the name will inevitably be reminiscent of Hedren, it could make a cute short form for a name such as Tiffany or Philippa.

Tippi

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Panda, welcome to the baby name menagerie! Panda is an adorable animal name (after an adorable animal) that is sure to be both very rare and very cute. In Skins there was a character called Panda, which was short for Pandora. The name Panda comes from the Nepali word ponya meaning "bamboo eater".

Panda

Boo may have started out as a nickname for the male character Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird and these days may be closely associated with another male Boo, the "world's cutest dog" or with the adorable little girl in Monsters, Inc. 
 A couple of other contemporary female references: reality television's Honey Boo Boo and chef Jamie Oliver's daughter Daisy Boo Pamela. And it's an equal opportunity term of endearment and near the top of any list of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/507/cute-baby-names">Cute baby names</a>.

You could see Bonnet as rarely used word name and an unexpected route to nicknames Bonnie and Betty. Or, you could view it as a (masculine) French form of Latin Bonitus, and as a surname-style choice of the same origin. 
 
Yet to appear in the US stats, if Stetson, Denim, and Suede can be used, perhaps Bonnet isn't too far out for girls?

Bonnet

Long a royal nickname in England, it's coming back there along with Archie and Alfie.  British singer Kate Bush calls her little boy Bertie.

Bertie

Unlike the other fruit names that are just coming onto the baby name menu, Peaches is an old-timey nickname previously reserved for spangled showgirls, and now would be considered an outrageous -- verging on hip -- choice. Or perhaps it was, until 2023, when it entered the UK Top 1000, not sounding too out of place beside other 2023 favorites, Honey, Blossom, Sage, Halo, and Dolly. 

Peaches

Short for Waverly or a fresh twist on Navy, Wavy is a quirky and interesting new word name option.

Wavy

High-kicking cohort of Coco, Gigi, Fifi, Kiki, et al. 

Bebe

Cute dogs need cute dog names. It's practically a rule!

? Well, Bella and Max, the two top names for dogs, definitely count as cute names for dogs. But more unique choices such as Emmy and Ernie might compete for the title as well.

 include Dottie, Juno, and Pippa. In addition to Max and Ernie, other 

 include Dewey, Monty, and Ozzy. Word names for dogs can be really cute, such as Bonnet, Cozy, and Otter.

If you're looking for cute names for dogs to suit your adorable dog or puppy, consult our extensive roster here.

Cute dog names including Zoey, Ziggy, and other cute names for dogs, with meaning, origin, and popularity (Page 11)